How It Went Wrong
by sakorian rage
Summary: Scorpius Malfoy took away everything I should have had. I can tell you exactly how it went wrong, and when, and where, and why. It started that first night at Hogwarts, in the Great Hall, when the Sorting Hat did something totally unprecedented, something none of us expected... twice.


_**A/N: **At the risk of sounding desperate, I ask that you read this chapter through to the end before you decide that this story isn't worth it. I've tried to make this a refreshing read, but the only way you can be a judge of my success is if you reach the end of this prologue. I think that you'll find that this is different from the majority of the other ScoRose fics out there._

_So on that note, without further ado, allow me to present to you:_

**How It Went Wrong**

by sakorian rage

* * *

Scorpius Malfoy took away everything I should have had, and I will never forgive him for that.

—::—

If only that old lady hadn't been in my way as I raced to Platform Nine-and-Three-Quarters.

If only my family members weren't such sentimental saps.

If only James hadn't felt like the presence of his younger brother and cousin would make him look "un-cool" in the eyes of his friends.

Bloody hell, if only my trunks hadn't been so heavy! Maybe then, Albus and I could have found ourselves an empty compartment.

Of course, it didn't turn out like that. I had to stop and wait for the elderly woman to get out of my way, Mum and Dad and Hugo hugged me approximately ten times each, James only laughed in Al's face when he asked if we could sit with the Gryffindor second years, and all the while I had to drag my trunks along behind me, further slowing us down so that by the time we reached the end of the train, there was only one compartment that wasn't a. completely full or b. containing older students who would not wish to associate with two puny first years.

There was just one person in it, a blonde boy who looked our age. He was gazing out the window at the scenery flying by. Al and I exchanged glances. We knew each other well enough to know what the other was thinking: this was our best choice.

"Excuse me," said Al politely, "but would you mind if we sat here?"

The boy looked up at his voice. His gray eyes flicked over us both before he shrugged. "Sure, go ahead," he said, and turned back to the window.

So Al and I made ourselves comfortable in the compartment. Al sat on the same bench as the boy but at a respectful distance, and I sat directly across from Al.

It was completely silent for a few minutes. I wanted to talk with my cousin, but the presence of the other made me unwilling. I knew he wasn't even paying attention to us, but I still didn't feel comfortable acting like he wasn't there. I would have been content to read for the entire ride without speaking a word to anybody, but Al, with his stupid need to make friends wherever he went, had other ideas.

"So, what's your name?" he asked brightly.

"Me?" The boy seemed faintly surprised. He hesitated before saying, "Scorpius mmfghkl."

"I'm sorry, what was that? I didn't catch that last part."

"Malfoy," said Scorpius more loudly, looking reluctant about it. "Scorpius Malfoy."

I remembered Dad's words very well: "So that's little Scorpius. Make sure you beat him in every test, Rosie. Thank God you inherited your mother's brains," he had told me as he pointed out Draco Malfoy and his son.

I looked at Scorpius with more interest now that I knew that this was the child of my parents' rival in their own school days, taking in his features and memorizing them with more care than I would have ordinarily. Most striking about his appearance was, of course, his hair, which was blonde and a distinctly lighter tone than most. His face had a sharp look about it, with high cheekbones and a pointed chin. Had I been interested in such things back then, I would have known at once that he would grow up to be somewhat of a looker, and my prediction would have come true in a few years' time. But I was eleven, and all I saw was the face of my rival.

Now that I knew who he was, I was fully prepared to ignore him — I would definitely be paying enough attention when classes started to make up for it, after all — but Al, curse him, was intent on befriending the boy.

"I'm Albus Potter, but you can call me Al," he said. "This is my cousin Rose—"

"—Weasley," Scorpius finished. "Yeah, I know. I knew who you were the moment you walked in."

I narrowed my eyes at him. "Is that an—"

"Oh, you always look into things too much, Rosie," said Al irritably. "What's the poor guy done to you? Of course he'd recognize us."

I bit my lip and lowered my eyes in shame. He was absolutely right, of course; no witch or wizard in London didn't know the faces of the children of the Golden Trio. Still, it was difficult not to judge Scorpius in the worst light possible when I kept Dad's words in mind.

_Don't show weakness in front of the enemy,_ I thought, and to hide my embarrassment, I looked back up— and met Scorpius' eyes. I had caught him watching me!

"It's not polite to stare," I said shortly.

He raised an eyebrow. "You're one to talk." But he sounded more amused than anything else. It was something about him that I would come to hate in time: that he didn't seem to feel the animosity I felt for him, that he found my antics entertaining. Like I wasn't worth getting upset over. But I'm getting ahead of myself.

I looked away, feeling heat rise to my cheeks. Ah, so I must have been watching him for longer than I'd realized. Either that, or I should have been more subtle.

When I glanced back at him, he was grinning. Grinning, of all the things to do!

I turned to Al for support, expecting him to come to to my defense and tell Scorpius off seeing as how I wasn't exactly in a position to do so myself, but that traitor of a cousin was also smiling.

"Looks like our little Rosie's—"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence," I growled.

Both he and Scorpius laughed. "Aw, lay off," he said. Turning to the other boy, he said as if sharing a secret, "She's a bit prickly sometimes, but don't worry; she warms up a little when you get to know her."

"Which will not happen because I am not talking to either of you," I said, and to prove my point, I took out the first book in my trunk and began to read it.

Unfortunately, it was a Potions textbook. I didn't want to read recipes for the rest of the ride, but even less did I want to make myself look like a fool by opening my trunk again to find something else, so I resolutely started from the first page and attempted to make myself look fascinated.

I didn't dare look up for fear that Al and Scorpius would think that I cared about their conversation, but I couldn't help but listen in. It was for two reasons: one, I wanted to know what my cousin saw in Scorpius Malfoy, and two, the textbook was painfully boring.

Over the course of the next twenty minutes, I gathered that they shared common ground over pumpkin juice, Sugar Quills, and Quidditch. I probably would have learned even more about what they had in common if they hadn't settled on the third item.

"Do you play?" Albus.

"Yeah, I'm going to try out for Keeper in second year." Scorpius.

"Oh? I play Chaser and so does Rose. Don't you, Rosie?"

I ignored Al's question, pretending to be absorbed in my textbook.

"Looks like she's reading," he said. "I wouldn't bother her. She hates it when she's interrupted."

"Tell me," said Scorpius, "how long does it usually take for her to finish a book?"

"Oh, she's a really fast reader. She finishes most books in a day. It's insane, I tell you."

"Funny," Scorpius said, "seeing as how she's been stuck on the same page for the last twenty minutes."

There was a smile in his voice. I felt myself turn red and was got a soft laugh from Scorpius in return, which caused me to flush even further.

"Rosie," said Al accusingly. "If you wanted to join the conversation, you should have spoken up."

I set the book down. "I didn't— I wasn't—" I spluttered, trying to save face. "I don't want to talk to you!"

Al looked hurt, and I regretted my choice of wording immediately.

"I didn't mean it that way," I said quickly. "It's just that—"

Thankfully, the food trolley arrived just then, saving me from digging an even deeper hole for myself.

—::—

Scorpius sat in the same boat as me and Al, much to my displeasure. They were still talking. I dipped my fingers into the water and let them trail, watching the distortion in the reflection of the trees' silhouettes. Then I turned my gaze to the castle itself, which was coming into view. From behind me, Al and Scorpius stopped talking. A hush fell over the first years as we gazed at Hogwarts in awe.

The castle was tall and imposing, with a majestic sort of beauty that took my breath away. There were more windows than I could count, and though not all of them contained a light inside, they still leant the school an ethereal aura, small panes of gold against black. I counted four towers that scraped the night sky and deduced what they must be: two contained the Gryffindor and Ravenclaw common rooms, one was the Owlery, and the other was the Astronomy Tower.

Soon, I thought with heady excitement, I would be sleeping in one of those.

The same notion must have occurred to my companions, because the conversation turned to the Sorting.

"I hope I'm in Gryffindor," said Al fervently, sounding like he had been thinking about this all day but had only just gotten the chance to voice it aloud.

"Of course you will," I soothed, hardly putting my mind to it. We'd had this conversation many times before, and I didn't even need to think about what to say anymore. "Remember the Quidditch game at the Burrow last summer? That Bludger was coming at you so fast—"

"—but I still made the shot before I dodged it. Yeah, I remember," said Al.

_Of course you remember_, I stopped myself from saying_. I've only had to 'remind' you of it eight times in the past two weeks._

"See, I wouldn't have taken the chance," I said instead. "Any sensible person wouldn't. Uncle Harry was yelling at you to dodge it, and Teddy expected you to do that too, so he was too surprised to block your shot. If you hadn't dived so fast after that, you would have been knocked right off your broom a split second later. You're plenty brave, Al."

"Thanks," he said, sounding a little better. "I'm sorry I make you keep reminding me about that. For what it's worth, you're definitely going to get into Gryffindor, Rosie. I don't see how it's not going to happen."

I smiled at that. I was already reasonably confident about myself, so he didn't need to say that, but it felt good all the same.

Scorpius had been silent during our exchange. Al was the one who noticed.

"Scor?" he said. (_Oh, great,_ I thought. _They're already on nickname terms._) "What house do you want to be in?"

The blonde sighed. "I don't know," he confessed. "I'll probably end up in Slytherin because I'm a Malfoy and all, but I don't know if that's what I want."

Surprised, I looked at him in spite of myself. "You don't?"

"I feel like everyone has all these expectations because I'm a Malfoy," he said bitterly. "If I got into a different House, I think that could help them stop thinking of me as my father's son and start thinking of me as... well, me."

I felt a pang of guilt at the realization that I was one of the people he was talking about. Granted, I had been influenced by Dad, but just because I was going to pound his grades into the dust didn't mean we couldn't be friends at the same time.

"Don't worry," said Al. "Even if you do get into Slytherin, you'll have me and Rose."

"That's right," I said. "We won't judge you."

I would give Scorpius a chance. It hadn't been fair of me to jump to conclusions so quickly on the train. Besides, he really didn't seem that bad.

As it turns out, my promise lasted for about one or two hours.

—::—

"Malfoy, Scorpius!"

"We won't judge you," I whispered to the petrified blonde, a reminder of my earlier words. He shot me a grateful look before walking over to the stool where the Sorting Hat lay.

I held my breath when he sat down and pulled the tattered scrap of fabric over his head. I honestly had no idea where Scorpius belonged. I barely knew him, but to me he seemed like a curious mix of the traits that were associated with all four houses.

To me, it seemed like an eternity before the Hat made up its mind, and when it was over I was surprised to see that it had taken only a minute. I had genuinely thought there would be a Hatstall, it was so difficult for me to assign him to a House, but the Hat seemed certain of itself when it opened its "mouth" and called, "GRYFFINDOR!"

There was a moment of shocked silence in the Great Hall as Scorpius very calmly took off the hat and made his way over to the Gryffindor table. Someone from Slytherin began clapping only to stop as the realization of what the Hat had said sank in.

I was beside myself with joy. Al, who was in front of me, turned and grinned widely. We both knew what this would mean: Scorpius was already well on his way to breaking free from his father's reputation, and the three of us would be able to spend more time with each other. Quite frankly, I had all but forgotten my earlier ill treatment of Scorpius.

It came as no surprise to me when Al also became a Gryffindor, and when he turned to me I gave him an "I told you so" look that he smiled sheepishly at before taking a seat beside our new friend.

My turn couldn't come quickly enough. I was already fantasizing about feasting with them when I pulled the hat on.

"Hmm," a small voice murmured into my ear. "Hmm. Very interesting."

"Well?" I said expectantly.

"Yes, yes, very interesting indeed. Are there any, ah, requests you have?"

"What do you mean?"

"Is there a house you have in mind? Somewhere you would like to be?"

Remembering that the Hat took into consideration the student's preferences, I was about to say "Gryffindor" when I thought better of it. I wanted to know that I was with my family out of the braveness of my own heart, not because I wanted to be there, so I said, "No, just do your thing."

"Very well," said the Hat.

I was already taking it off and turning toward the Gryffindor table when I realized that the entire student body was quiet. A hush similar to the one when Scorpius had been Sorted had taken over, and I got an unpleasant feeling in my stomach as I thought back to what the Hat had said.

When the students started clapping, it was the ones with silver-and-green ties that were the loudest, and that was what confirmed my suspicions.

I was too shocked to do anything but walk over to the Slytherin table.

—::—

I didn't listen to Headmaster McGonagall's speech, and when the food appeared on the plates before me, all I could do was stare at it. The aroma was tantalizing, but it just made the sick feeling in my stomach feel worse.

The numbness had begun to wear off. I was in Slytherin. I was in _Slytherin_. _I was in Slytherin._

I looked across the hall to the Gryffindor table. Al and Scorpius' backs were both to me. James was proudly ruffling his younger brother's hair, and even without seeing his face I knew that Al was beaming. Scorpius, too, seemed happy as he dug into his food.

At that moment, Al turned around and caught my gaze. His expression was rueful. Scorpius followed suit, and the looks on their faces were both ones of pity.

I continued to watch them even when they turned back around. I watched them talk animatedly with each other, and I watched as Scorpius said something that made Al's shoulders shake with laughter, and as I did so, I realized something: that should be me. I should be the one next to him and making him laugh.

But I wasn't.

Because I was in Slytherin, and Scorpius was the one in Gryffindor.

And finally, _finally_, I came to my senses and realized that we had switched places.

Needless to say, that was when my goodwill toward him evaporated.

—::—

Scorpius Malfoy took away everything I should have had: friends, Al, honor, a place at the Gryffindor table... he stole my family right out from under my nose.

But perhaps I'm being a little overdramatic here. I have friends, just not the ones I was supposed to have; most people aren't aware of the shame I can't help but feel every day because I've always been a good actress; I'm welcome to sit with the Gryffindors whenever I want even though everyone knows I wouldn't belong there even if I tried; and it's not like I was disowned... although that isn't to say it didn't nearly happen.

But whatever I have, Scorpius has more of. After everyone got over the initial shock of the results of the Sorting, he quickly gained popularity. Being a Gryffindor, they assumed, meant that he wasn't like his father therefore was an all right guy to hang around, and his natural charm and good looks didn't help my case. In addition to that, he gets invited to so many of our family gatherings that he's practically an honorary Weasley by now.

I got the short end of the stick, as you can see. Nowadays we simply pretend that we don't remember it at all, but my first year at Hogwarts was a study in exclusion that no eleven-year-old ought to have to go through. The Gryffindors refused to associate with me because I wasn't one of them, the Slytherins refused to associate with me because I was one of them, and I was the subject of morbid curiosity from the Ravenclaws and pity from the Hufflepuffs. My family was the only exception, but even they weren't completely immune. Even Al seemed to forget that I was the same Rose Weasley he had known all his life, that just because I was now a Slytherin didn't mean I had changed.

Al. We used to be closer than two peas in a pod, and I don't doubt that we would still be had the Sorting Hat not decided that it was going to ruin my life that fateful night. But since then, Scorpius has replaced me as his best friend, and no matter how much the both of them deny it, we all know it's true.

I hate Scorpius Malfoy.

I very well and truly loathe him with every fiber of my being, and I have bloody good reason to.

I despise him because he replaced me.

I detest the fact that he's just as smart as me and that he's just as much of a natural at Quidditch as I am.

Most of all, I can't stand how good he is and how he doesn't even seem to realize it, which of course only serves to emphasize the fact.

Because he is a constant reminder that I probably deserved what I got.

* * *

**A/N:**_ So here it is: my newest story! I've done my best to make this as different and interesting as possible, but you'll have to be the judge in whether I was successful in that. __Please drop off a review to tell me what you think so far; your comments are what keep me writing. **  
**_


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